The debate over abortion continues to rage among our citizens. It is the most divisive political issue in our country. It is also the main reason there is so much contention whenever there is an opening on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Liberals realize that the decision establishing abortion rights, Roe v. Wade, may be overturned if President Donald Trump is allowed to successfully nominate another conservative Supreme Court Justice.

It is a major reason why pro-choice activists are working overtime to defeat Trump in the 2020 election. The Democratic Party is the political home for these activists and the party will surely nominate a presidential candidate who is pro-choice on the abortion issue. In fact, pro-life Democrats are becoming a very rare breed indeed.

Interestingly, Louisiana has one of these unusual politicians as Governor, John Bel Edwards. He has genuinely campaigned and governed as a pro-life Democrat. In fact, Edwards signed a bill which will protect the life of an unborn baby once a fetal heartbeat is detected. If it is implemented and survives legal challenges, the bill will protect the life of an unborn baby as young as six weeks old. It will also require an ultrasound before an abortion can be performed.

Politically, one of the reasons that the Governor can openly express his pro-life views is that he knows that his position is popular in Louisiana. A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute discovered that Louisiana is the most pro-life state in the nation with 60% of the respondents maintaining that abortion should be illegal. The survey showed a mere 34% of the participants support abortion rights in “most or all cases.” The nationwide results are much different with only 40% supporting a pro-life position and 54% supporting the pro-choice viewpoint.

This is another case where the people of Louisiana are at odds with the rest of the nation. It also shows how Governor Edwards is at odds with the vast majority of his fellow Democrats, especially those located outside of Louisiana.

In his upcoming race for re-election, Edwards will need to have the strong financial backing of national Democrats who are pro-choice. He will also have to convince more liberal pro-choice Democrats in Louisiana to support him despite his pro-life views, while, simultaneously, persuading more moderate Democrats, Independents and Republicans that he is truly pro-life and to support him as well.

It is a balancing act that will require tremendous campaign skills, but we have seen impressive political dexterity from Edwards in the past few years. Nevertheless, one surefire way for his opponents to score political points against Edwards is to tie him to the unpopular views of the national Democratic Party. Surely, Edwards will have to support the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. This nominee, whether it is former Vice President Joe Biden or any of the other candidates, will be staunchly pro-choice.

His opponents can ask how can Edwards be truly pro-life if he will support a Democratic Party presidential nominee, who, if elected, will nominate pro-choice U.S. Supreme Court judges? In actuality, while professing pro-life views, Edwards supports a party and candidates who support abortion rights and nominate judges to make sure it will always be a legal right in this country.

This may be one of the many issues that Edwards will have to address in the weeks ahead as he attempts to win a second term. He certainly has the power of incumbency, the support of statewide media, an impressive war chest and a record that he believes merits a second term. However, one of his major liabilities is that he is a member of a political party that is unpopular in Louisiana. If his opponents can closely tie him to that liberal party platform, and the progressive candidates that lead the Democratic Party, he will be in danger of losing.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs locally at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and at 10:00 p.m. Sundays on PBS affiliate WLAE-TV, Channel 32, and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & www.Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on www.JeffCrouere.com. For more information, email him at jeff@jeffcrouere.com

Being a moderate democrat in Louisiana has become a real labor of love today, The Louisiana Democratic Party is becoming more and more irrelevant in the Bayou State. Party officials did itself a real disservice two years ago when it tried to wipe out the memory of the state’s two most important figures.

If ever there were any two individuals who should be regularly honored and commemorated in Louisiana history, there should be doubt that the two should be Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. And for many years, the Louisiana Democratic Party did honor both American heroes by hosting an annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner as a yearly fundraiser. Democrats held similar events across the country. And for good reason.

Jefferson was the driving force in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon in 1803. Simply put, without Jefferson’s vision and tenacity in seeking the vast territory west of the Mississippi River, Louisiana would not be a state today. Andrew Jackson was our countries’ seventh president, and what he did for Louisiana was incredible. In the war of 1812, New Orleans was under siege by the British. Major General Andrew Jackson rushed to New Orleans and gathered a rag tag army made up of a motley group of local citizens, frontiersmen, slaves, Indians and even pirates, and soundly defeated the British.

But today, Jefferson and Jackson are persona non grata. Louisiana Party officials have decided it is no longer “politically correct” to honor these two American icons. You see, they were slave owners. It made no difference that the first seven American presidents also owned slaves, as did most of the nation’s founding fathers. The democratic leadership apparently wants to judge these past heroes based on present-day values, and continue a warped effort to re write Louisiana and American history.

The new dinner name is the “True Blue Gala.” I suppose we will see a resolution at a future dinner calling for the re-naming of Jefferson and Jackson parishes, Thomas Jefferson High School in Gretna, the town of Jackson, La., Jefferson Island in Iberia Parish; the list goes on and on.

Up until about 15 years ago, party labels were irrelevant in the bayou state. Democrats and republicans in the legislature worked well together irrespective of party affiliation. When I held two statewide offices and worked with legislators to pass important legislation, I would have been hard-pressed to distinguish who was in what party. It’s a lot different today.

Many of the democratic presidential candidates, during the first debate, advocated proposals that are pushing the Democratic Party far out of the mainstream. There is little national support for the return of forced busing, slave reparations and a single payer healthcare program. Yet these issues are in the forefront of the current democratic presidential debate.

In Louisiana, forced busing back in the 70s tore local communities apart, and was a judicially imposed requirement by federal judge John Parker of Baton Rouge. A large majority of white and black families were appalled at the thought of busing their small child an hour away or more to a different school.

There is virtually no support from moderate democrats on being taxed to make reparations for an event that happened 160 years ago, particularly when many of those who would be taxed come from families who were not even living in this country at the time. Give up your current healthcare insurance for a one payer system? No way say moderate democrats in poll after poll that is taken.

What we are watching is that democrats on both the state and national levels are embracing losing issues and ceding the political center to republicans. Pandering to the extremes may get a candidate or a political party a slight bump in the early polls. But democrats seem to have a fatal inability to set an agenda that makes common sense to most Americans.

Embracing a host of losing issues, including wiping out the memory of Jefferson and Jackson, and bring backing forced busing are not the way to win at the state or national level. Right now, republicans are high fiving. And for good reason.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com. You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

In the race to take on President Donald Trump, vice-president Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders continue to slip in the polls among Democratic voters according to the just released Morning Consult poll. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the survey is that among likely voters, Biden's lead drops to high single digits.

Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have risen up the ranks of contenders for the Democratic presidential primary in recent months, closing the gap between the field and its current leader, former Vice President Joe Biden.

New Morning Consult polling showing preferences among the primary electorate's most likely voters suggests that gap may be even smaller than it appears.

Biden holds respective 17- and 18-point leads over Harris and Warren in the latest survey of 16,599 Democratic primary voters, conducted July 1-7. But that advantage shrinks to 8 points over Harris and 12 points over Warren among the 4,604 voters who are most likely to vote: those who said they're absolutely certain to vote in 2020, have voted in previous elections and are extremely interested in politics and public affairs. Both samples have 1-point margins of error.

Biden has held steady, but both Harris (by 4 points) and Warren (by 9 points) have improved their standing with the most likely Democratic voters since Morning Consult polling conducted Feb. 1-28, which also had a 1-point margin of error.

While Harris and Warren overperform with the party's likeliest voters, it's the opposite effect for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who trails the former vice president among the likeliest primary voters by 17 points, compared with a 12-point deficit among the overall primary electorate.

The most enthusiastic voters are 7 points less likely than the overall primary electorate to give Sanders first-choice status, 12 percent to 19 percent, while they're 7 points more likely to back Harris. Warren has a 4-point advantage with the group compared to the overall electorate.

Since February, Sanders has lost 5 points with the group, matching his movement among the overall electorate over the same time period.

Since his entry into the race, confident supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden have been predicting his ascension to the White House and an easy victory over President Trump next year. They point to polls which show Biden leading his Democratic opponents in his march toward the nomination and defeating President Trump in a hypothetical 2020 election matchup.

The problem with this analysis is that Joe Biden is a very flawed candidate. While he was elected to the United States Senate at the age of 29 and served for six terms, Biden has not done well as a national candidate. He ran for President twice, in 1988 and 2008, and bombed both times, receiving less than 1% of the vote.

Ironically, he left the 1988 race after plagiarizing speeches from British politician Neil Kinnock, but did not learn his lesson. In this campaign, portions of his official statement on climate change were plagiarized as well.

In his previous presidential races, voters were not very impressed with Biden. Today, voters should feel the same way toward a candidate with a history of making incredible gaffes. His propensity for cringe worthy comments was on display this week at a fundraiser in New York City.

He praised his ability to work with former segregationist Senators Herman Talmadge of Georgia and James Eastland of Mississippi. Biden said that Eastland called him “son,” and not “boy,” but noted that Talmadge was “one of the meanest guys I ever knew.” Despite their differences, Biden claimed that “At least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn’t agree on much of anything. We got things done. We got it finished. But today you look at the other side and you’re the enemy. Not the opposition, the enemy. We don’t talk to each other anymore.”

Instead of being applauded for his ability to work with others, Biden was blasted by his fellow Democratic presidential candidates. U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) said he was “disappointed that he (Biden) hasn’t issued an immediate apology for the pain his words are dredging up for many Americans.” U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) noted that “If those men had their way, I wouldn’t be in the United States Senate.”

As a 76-year old white male, with a lifetime in politics, Joe Biden is surprisingly out of touch with the Democratic Party today. It is hard to believe he did not realize that extolling his ability to work with segregationists would cause a firestorm of criticism.

The young progressives driving the Democratic Party today are not interested in a “pale, stale male” as their nominee. Despite his name recognition and lead in the polls, he will have a hard time withstanding the attacks which will come his way.

To get ready, Biden has been hurtling to the left on issues to try to appease the progressive base of the party. For example, he abandoned his four decade support of the Hyde amendment, which outlawed public funding of abortions. This was done after actress Alyssa Milano and others criticized him. He has also apologized for his support of the 1994 crime bill, which African American leaders blame for high incarceration rates across the country.

In the days ahead, he will continue to move to the left, apologize for previous statements and attempt to pacify his critics. It will not be enough to win the nomination. It has already been lost as the base voters of the Democratic Party have had enough of Joe Biden and they are not eager for more. S

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs locally at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and at 10:00 p.m. Sundays on PBS affiliate WLAE-TV, Channel 32, and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & www.Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on www.JeffCrouere.com. For more information, email him at jeff@jeffcrouere.com

It should come as no surprise that the Democratic Party will not allow Fox News to host a presidential candidate debate for the upcoming 2020 election. According to Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez, “Recent reporting atThe New Yorker on the inappropriate relationship between President Trump, his administration and FOX News has led me to conclude that the network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates. Therefore, FOX News will not serve as a media partner for the 2020 Democratic primary debates.”

It is a predictable that Perez cited The New Yorker, which is a very liberal magazine, for his decision. In reality, Fox News is only cable network with ideological balance. The network gives plenty of exposure to liberals and Democrats and employs contributors, hosts and reporters who are very critical of President Donald Trump.

This decision indicates that Democrats are not looking for any fair treatment from the media. They want the usual, positive coverage, which will focus on unhinged criticism of President Trump, instead of a real analysis of Democratic Party policies and disagreements among candidates.

Democrats will hold 12 presidential debates starting with a MSNBC debate in June. In July, CNN will host their first debate and it will be interesting to see if any of their analysts give advance copies of the questions to any of the candidates. In 2016, CNN analyst, Donna Brazile, tipped off Hillary Clinton with the questions before her debate against Senator Bernie Sanders. This bias should have disqualified CNN from ever hosting another Democratic Party presidential debate, but, of course, since the network spends 24/7 bashing President Trump, they have been forgiven.

Regarding President Trump, the respected watchdog group, , reported that 95% of his broadcast network news coverage is consistently negative. Former CBS reporter Lara Logan, admitted in an interview that at least “85%” of reporters are “registered Democrats” and are “mostly liberal.”

With this overwhelming bias tainting his coverage, President Trump should carefully consider whether he will agree to any debates with the Democratic Party presidential nominee. In response to Perez’s decision, the President tweeted, “Democrats just blocked @FoxNews from holding a debate. Good, then I think I’ll do the same thing with the Fake News Networks and the Radical Left Democrats in the General Election debates!”

The President has a very legitimate concern for presidential debates in previous years have been moderated by leftist anchors with an agenda. It will difficult for the President to find any fair journalists working on any of the networks other than Fox News. So, if the Democrats refuse to enter a debate with a Fox News anchor and the President is insistent that he will not be subjected to “Fake News,” there may not be any moderators that Republicans and Democrats can agree upon. The 2020 presidential debates may not happen or may be radically different. Stay tuned.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs locally at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and at 10:00 p.m. Sundays on PBS affiliate WLAE-TV, Channel 32, and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & www.Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on www.JeffCrouere.com. For more information, email him at jeff@jeffcrouere.com

Resistance: The refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument.

America has now reached the point where it needs a third party because what we have is not working. President Washington’s warnings about the evils of partisanship have come to roost. Democrats are incapable to accepting defeat in Presidential election, so they resist. Republicans lack the ability to lead.

The Democratic Party has gone so far as to call itself “The Resistance” as if they are fighting some deadly ideological war where no quarter can be given. Compromise is out of the question and legitimate debate beyond reach. They perceive themselves as an anointed force for good dedicated to frustrating the unenlightened will of the people as expressed in the 2016 election.

The new Democratic House has promised to spend America’s valuable time investigating this President. They intend to dig into every aspect of his past life in the hopes of finding something… anything… they can use as a pretense for impeachment. (We are supposed to forget their exoneration of Bill Clinton for proven Obstruction of Justice and Perjury in the Paula Jones Case while President, both felonies for which he was disbarred.)

There is a difference between prosecution and persecution. In prosecution you investigate a crime seeking to find the person responsible. In the persecution you investigate a person until you either discover something you can charge them with or destroy them through the process itself. The first is a legal process, the other is a witch hunt. Democrats have publicly announced a determination to do the latter as a part of their “Resistance.” This undermines the American system of law.

What is the difference between placing a victim on the rack, driving bamboo under fingernails, or imposing other cruel methods of punishment to elicit a confession and the more modern process of imprisonment until someone cooperates with prosecutors as a witness against another person? How is this even legal?

Certainly, this mania does not define the entire party, but it does define the leadership and a significant extreme leftist faction that imposes obedience on its members.

As for the Republicans, what can you say? They controlled the House, Senate, and Presidency and achieved little. Why? Because an extreme rightest wing in that party refused to compromise. Their small number prevented any majority votes from passing meaningful legislation because no Democrat would cross the aisle. The border issue should have been accomplished two years ago. Much the same for healthcare and an assortment of other pressing concerns.

In both parties the middle, where most of the American people reside, has been forgotten or driven into silence. They are told how to vote and what to say through talking points by the political wackos that infect the process on both sides.

This must end. We need thoughtful independent minded people of both parties to cast the leadership aside and serve the needs and wants of the American people. It takes courage to do what is right and one has to believe that there are some in Congress who possesses sufficient bravery to cross the aisle, reach out to the other side, and forge compromise.

The balance of power this could generate would take power away from the respective party extremes and place it back in the hands of thoughtful elected representatives. This group, however small, would control debate and passage of bills.

Consider the power a third faction could possess. They would possess the balance of power. Nothing could pass unless they approved of it. Everything too conservative or too liberal would die in committee or on the floor of Congress. Eventually, the leadership of both parties would realize that their ambitions are stymied by the demands of America’s common men and women who have tired of the foolishness, incompetency, corruption and “Resistance.”. Reason could prevail and political normalcy returned.

Are there no members of Congress willing to fulfil their oath of office, uphold the constitution, and serve the American people? It would be so simple to achieve. It just takes a little courage and fortitude coupled with the desire to do what is right for our nation.

This is, after all, why they were elected, is it not?

Ron Chapman is an award-winning columnist, a businessman and a professor.

No longer do conservatives, moderates or even mainstream liberals have a home in the Democratic Party of today. They have been forced out by radical activists moving the party further to the left on a range of important issues.

In Congress, the main spokespeople for the Democratic Party are progressive superstars like U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who espouses a “Green New Deal” and a 70% income tax rate. Not to be outdone, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is advocating an upper tax rate of 90%. According to Omar, the 90% rate is “a place to start…The one percent must pay their fair share.”

Incredibly, Democrats are calling for massive tax increases while the country has enjoyed the benefits of tax cuts. Under President Donald Trump, a significant tax cut for businesses and individuals was passed by Congress. The result has been tremendous economic growth, an increase in the stock market and massive employment gains.

In the new employment report, it was revealed that 304,000 new jobs were created in January. The labor force participation rate increased to 63.2%, the highest level of the Trump presidency. With more people entering the job market, the unemployment rate increased to 4%, but it is still a very low number by historical standards.

Along with outstanding job growth, President Trump’s policies have led to an increase in the stock market, consumer confidence and a resurgence in the manufacturing sector. More needs to be done to improve the healthcare industry, but the Democrats are refusing to repeal the vestiges of Obamacare which are still harmful. One of the new far-left Democratic presidential candidates, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) is calling for “Medicare for all” and the elimination of private health insurance. Let’s hope Americans do not want completely socialized medicine and the utter ruination of our already troubled healthcare industry. The idea is so far to the left that liberal billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who is also considering a presidential bid, said it “would bankrupt us for a very long time.”

The “Medicare for all” or “single-payer” option has the support of not only Harris, but also potential presidential candidate, socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, presidential candidate U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and the latest contender to enter the ever-widening Democratic field, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). This position will attract the far left to the Democratic Party but should cause more centrist voters to think twice about a party moving so rapidly to the left.

It is one reason that Starbucks founder Howard Schultz is looking to enter the presidential race as an Independent. He is a traditional liberal who views the idea of eliminating private health insurance as not only “not correct” but also “not American.” According to Schultz, “What’s next? What industry are we going to abolish next? The coffee industry.”

All Americans should share the concerns of Howard Schultz about the direction of the Democratic Party. Their policies are downright frightening. From their tax proposals to their climate change agenda to their healthcare plans to their new advocacy of abortion on demand, even at the end of a pregnancy and after a child is born, the Democratic Party is moving so far left it is leaving the values of the vast majority of Americans behind.

Ocasio-Cortez is an avowed socialist, just like Sanders and many of the activists who are involved in pushing the agenda of the Democratic Party. Socialism has now become mainstream in the Democratic Party, even though there are examples from throughout history of the failures of that philosophy.

Presently, the ongoing crisis in Venezuela should remind everyone that socialism leads to misery. This is a country which has been in the death grip of socialist dictatorship for many years. It should be an extremely prosperous country due to abundant natural resources. Sadly, socialism has created rampant corruption, increasing violence and an economy, so broken, that basic necessities like toilet paper are rare commodities.

In the 2020 presidential election, let’s hope and pray the American voters will not reject capitalism for a philosophy that is both dangerous and destructive. Socialism is overtaking the Democratic Party, but if it overtakes our government, it will destroy our country. The stakes in the next election could not be any higher.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs locally at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and at 10:00 p.m. Sundays on PBS affiliate WLAE-TV, Channel 32, and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & www.Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on www.JeffCrouere.com. For more information, email him at jeff@jeffcrouere.com

Is he itching to put his name in the Democratic Party pool of wannabees who are launching presidential campaigns, it appears, now by the droves. Over the past two weeks, starting with Elizabeth Warren, the names of presidential campaign “expectees” are jumping in or making it known that their respective campaigns are under serious consideration.

In the days of the Internet, email and social media, one of the ways to tell how itchy a person might be is to look what they are saying online. Normally, if a campaign gets-a-brewing, the potential candidate percolating his or her thoughts on twitter, the free-speech alley of politics.

Landrieu has not let his feelings known, at least, has not stated to the public whether he will be shooting for the White House. According to Stephanie Grace of the Advocate, before any decision is made and any statement made in public, Landrieu has Biden on his mind. Landrieu has clearly expressed his preference, that is for the former Vice President, Joe Biden

But, what if “Crazy Joe” decides the world is crazy enough and he’s already paid his dues, thank you? Maybe, then, we will see more tweets and subtle hints coming from Team Landrieu.

But for now, if you look at his twitter feed, the former New Orleans mayor is pretty mum about national politics, that’s for sure. And compared to some of his “would be” competitors it’s not even close.

Not that he’s doing poorly in the twitter “followers” game. So far, he has amassed 68,000 followers, which number absolutely is not chopped liver. By comparison, Elizabeth Warren has 2.2 milliion followers, Kamela Harris has 2.05 million, Kirsten Gillebrand 1.32 million, Bernie Sanders with 8.97 billion. Oh, and Joe Biden? The former Vice President and for now, the leading candidate should he decide to make his move towards the aye side, has 3.2 million.

While twitter doesn’t a presidential candidate make, 68 thousand is a pimple on an elephant. Some name recognition he must do and fast.

Nor has Landrieu made the usual noise you would see on twitter. He did make his voice heard on the issue of the shutdown. He tweeted, “The #TrumpShutdown has real consequences for real people. Worse, President Trump continues to scapegoat immigrants for crime. Instead of building a wall, let’s invest in modern border security, more and better trained local law enforcement, and tackling the opioid crisis.”

Also, he sniped at another Mitch about the shutdown, that is Mitch McConnell. The Majority Leader of the Senate. Regarding a recent The Hill article in which the Republican Senate leader was quoted to say, “"We certainly will not be in recess next week if the government is still shut down”, Landrieu responded with a short, “It’s pretty simple”.

He was mentioned in another tweet that proves he’s not just known in Broadmoor and Gentilly.

According to another post, he’s in great company: Mitch Landrieu will be a visiting fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics -- Andrew Gillum will be a Resident Fellow. Other fellows include Gary Cohn, Heidi Heitkamp, Barbara Comstock, and Carlos Curbelo

But if twitter were the definitive sign as to a potential candidate’s intentions, he’s surely not tweeting, retweeting, liking and capturing followers.

Instead, it appears he looks like he’s in the mix, getting known on the national stage, so when one of the future major candidates horses pull out of the gate, he’s riding high or somewhere to campaign for a Democrat to take on the President.

Federalist Society members, led by George Conway III, husband of presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway, have condemned Donald Trump’s, purported, assault on the rule of law. It’s a reversal more stunning, even, than the midterm rejection of GOP candidates. Trump, now, finds himself surrounded by predators, the House, the special counsel, wary world leaders, women, youth and, add to the list, conservative intellectuals.

The tipping point for Conway was the ousting of attorney general Jeff Sessions and his replacement with a Robert Mueller foil, Matt Whitaker, whose resume doesn’t readily commend itself. Conway has spoken out before, but this is his boldest assault on the president, to date. When silk-stocking conservative lawyers mirror ACLU complaints, it’s an indication that the public can’t be too far behind.

Trump’s act isn’t playing well any more. The brash attacks on political correctness no longer entertain when the president proclaims himself a “nationalist,” and then has to clarify that he’s not a racist. Deploying troops along the border to protect against an “invasion” of Central Americans that is more than fifty-percent women and children on foot, none of whom has leprosy, is a stupid use of political theater that grows dumber by the day.

Every election a Republican lost in 2018 wasn’t because of illegal voting, ballot box stuffing, or liberal chicanery. None was. Everyone who disagrees with Trump isn’t a traitor. Each news outlet that reports unflattering news about Trump isn’t peddling lies and falsehoods. Investigations into his alleged misconduct are not attacks on America. Football players who kneel are not disrespecting the troops or the flag. These are facts, no matter what Trump says.

In the aftermath of Charlottesville, Trump outraged the world with his claim that “there were very fine people on both sides.” It’s ironic that Trump would extend more generous cover to avowed extremists than he does to members of the opposition party. The last two years have been a Rorschach test of what kind of leadership Americans want, salesman Trump, or something better.

Echoes of Nixon-Agnew reverberate through the minds of those alive at the time, though Nixon was far smarter, and infinitely more accomplished than Trump will ever be. Then, as now, an embattled president who stood accused of electoral wrongdoing strove, mightily, to hide potentially damning evidence. The looming indictments of more Trump partisans, maybe even family members, will further test Trump supporters’ heretofore ironclad belief that their man can do no wrong, despite substantial evidence that he has something to hide.

Political science is not science at all. It’s an art, and a craft that evolves over time. Trump’s biggest failing is that he seems incapable of evolution. He’s a modern Manichean, a believer that there are no gray shades, just black and white. The position is a throwback that favors authoritarianism and ignores the complexities of human interactions. There are ills in society but, perhaps, the biggest lie Donald Trump has ever told was uttered at his inauguration, when he said, “I alone can fix it.”

The title of this column starts with "Trump's midterm". That is what it is. He told us often that the election is about him. He deserves credit. He deserves blame. He is the dominant figure on stage and those winning or losing deserve the supporting awards, nothing more.

For now, other than Mississippi, the midterms voting is essentially history. As I write this column, the Republicans have kept the US Senate and will likely pick up some highly-coveted seats, adding to its majority. The Democrats finally have a seat at the table. No longer can President Trump and the Republicans in Congress railroad legislation without hearings as they did over the past two years. And, of course, there are those investigations that were clearly throttled by Trump, Nunes and other House Chairmen.

So, what can we say are the end results of a protracted battle in which both sides can claim partial victories? Let’s see:

THE SENATE FLOP

Of all of the plums over which the Republicans can crow, this is it. Of all the flops the Democrats can be blamed about, this is it.

The Democrats always had an uphill battle, but based upon the recent polls, it appears they lost some big ones in the last hours.

The Republicans, who refused to move forward President Barack Obama’s judicial picks (including his Supreme Court choice), have more influence to mold the federal judicial system in the image of the current President. They also have more sway over nominees appointed by him to fill the cabinet spots. Perhaps the biggest win for Trump and the Republicans is the Russia investigation. With more Senators being able to say nyet, any House impeachment article will face an increasingly uphill battle. Trump can make the argument that any Senator going against him will face his wrath and he has a legitimate argument to make on that front. However, and again, this is a big IF, should there be any serious legal claims against the President or his family, his heavy hammer will be thinner come 2020. Much depends upon the findings of the Special Counsel and what the now-Democratic House does with any of their findings.

BIG RACES

Unquestionably, the Republicans won the four major races that got much of the media scrutiny. His hand-picked lieutenant Ron DeSantis will now be Governor of Florida. The new US Senator from the same state will be a republican Rick Scott, who beat Democrat Bill Nelson. From all indications, Brian Kemp has bested democrat Stacy Abrams for the Georgia governor berth. Ted Cruz edged out a heavily-funded Beto O’Rourke. Marsha Blackburn prevailed in Tennessee, toppling a former popular Democratic governor. Without doubt, the president can take credit for those wins and for the pickups. He put his standing and reputation on the line as he spoke at rally after rally and tweet after tweet. He won the Senate, no small accomplishment and his persistent efforts paid off, although, in doing so, an argument will be made that he hurt some of those Republican candidates in the House with his harsh message which ultimately helped propel women and other minorities to seats in the House.

STATE ELECTIONS

As of this writing, it appears that the Democrats have flipped six seats, including that of once-presidential hopeful and then-Tea Party lightening rod, Scott Walker’s Wisconsin, and states Illinois, Michigan, Kansas, New Mexico and Nevada. Winning these seats is big pickups for team blue.

THE BIG FLIP: DEMS MASTERS OF THE HOUSE

Despite spin by President Trump, the Democrats rule the House. The Republicans can no longer ramrod legislation down the throats of the politically helpless. Trump, who claims to be the world’s best negotiator must now put that part of his reputation to the test.

At long last for those smelling corruptions, the House gets to probe under those rocks and under the covers. There are some very serious allegations lodged. There is no doubt that Congressman Devin Nunes played the hide card. The White House can say that the people don’t care about Trump’s tax returns, his alleged violation of the US Constitution’s emolument clause, the Russian, Saudi and other influences. They can assert that Democrats will be over-reaching. But, throughout the past three months, the daily drumbeat of Bob Mueller has been muted. There is plenty of meat on those investigative bones and Congress has a constitutional obligation to look.

It won’t be pretty.

WAVE BUT NO TSUNAMI

Indeed, there was a wave, a blue wave, but far from a Tsunami.

True, the party controlling the White House normally loses seats during mid-terms, but they don’t necessarily lose control of either the House or the Senate. This flip is major and no dustup by the president will escape this reality. The Democrats have picked up at least two-dozen House seats. Out of all of the story lines emanating from Tuesday’s night vote, Democrats controlling one-body of the federal government is significant. It cannot be underplayed. Trump is now politically and possibly legally vulnerable despite any hogwash he feeds us or any diversions his loyalists make.

LESSON LEARNED

The most problematic lesson learned is that hate helps. Maxine Waters, Hillary Clinton and Eric Holder’s bizarre comments motivated the Trump base and some independents to vote GOP. Those foolish words minimized the recent right wing terrorist acts that exploded on our screens.

Trump, like him or hate him, commands a powerful “MAGA” phone. He won the US Senate. Any downplaying of his personal efforts cannot be considered serious.

Women played a major role last night. The once-male dominated Congress is now multi-colored. Gays, African Americans, young white women and even Palestinians are now represented in greater numbers than ever before. Trump’s misogyny mattered. Women got angry and got even.

The Kavanaugh controversy had a great impact. Trump said he was making the campaign about Kavanaugh and caravan. As has been reported, those democratic US Senators who voted against the Supreme court nominee will be unemployed. The one democrat who sided with Trump, Manchin of West Virginia, prevailed.

Trump unquestionably played the hate and the fear cards. He ran a commercial (that even Fox rejected) that he felt would help him win the Senate and it did. He focused upon a caravan of helpless migrants who might or might not obtain asylum and he demonized them. His voters approved. The nation continues to be severely divided. Trump and Republicans know that if all else fails, the Lee Atwater-style boogie man is alive, can play its magic, and work overtime, when needed.